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Differentiate or Die

Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition

Synopsis:

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In today's ultra-competitive world, the average supermarket has 40,000
brand items on its shelves. Car shoppers can wander through the
showrooms of over twenty automobile makers. For marketers,
differentiating products today is more challenging than at any time in
history — yet it remains at the heart of successful marketing. More
importantly, it remains the key to a company's survival.

In Differentiate or Die, bestselling author Jack Trout doesn't beat around
the bush. He takes marketers to task for taking the easy route too
often, employing high-tech razzle-dazzle and sleight of hand when they
should be working to discover and market their product's uniquely
valuable qualities. He examines successful differentiation initiatives
— from giants like Dell Computer, Southwest Airlines, and Wal-Mart to
smaller success stories like Streit's Matzoh and Connecticut's tiny
Trinity College — to determine why some marketers succeed at
differentiating themselves while others struggle and fail.

More than just a collection of marketing success stories, however,
Differentiate or Die is an in-depth exploration of today's most
successful differentiation strategies. It explains what these
strategies are, where and when they should be applied, and how they can
help you carve out your own image in a crowded marketplace. Marketing
executives in all types of organizations, regardless of size, can learn
how to achieve product differentiation through strategies including:

PositioningUnderstanding how the mind works in the differentiating process

Owning an IdeaTechniques to seize a differentiating idea, dramatize it, and make it your own

CompetitionHow to use differentiating ideas against your competitors in the marketplace

Consumers today are faced with an explosion of choices. In this
environment, distinctive product attributes are quickly copied by
competitors, perceived by consumers to be minimal, or both. Still,
those who fail to differentiate their product or service in the mind of
the consumer won't stand a chance.

Differentiate or Die outlines the many ways you can achieve differentiation. It also warns
how difficult it is to achieve differentiation by being creative,
cheap, customer oriented, or quality driven things that your
competitors can do as well.

Table of Contents:

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Chapter 1. The Tyranny of Choice

Chapter 2. Whatever Happened to the U.S.P.?
Chapter 3. Reinventing the U.S.P.
Chapter 4. Quality and Customer Orientation Are Rarely Differentiating Ideas
Chapter 5. Creativity Is Not a Differentiating Idea
Chapter 6. Price Is Rarely a Differentiating Idea
Chapter 7. Breadth of Line Is a Difficult Way to Differentiate
Chapter 8. The Steps to Differentiation
Chapter 9. Differentiation Takes Place in the Mind
Chapter 10. Being First Is a Differentiating Idea
Chapter 11. Attribute Ownership Is a Way to Differentiate
Chapter 12. Leadership Is a Way to Differentiate
Chapter 13. Heritage Is a Differentiating Idea
Chapter 14. Market Specialty Is a Differentiating Idea
Chapter 15. Preference Is a Differentiating Idea
Chapter 16. How a Product Is Made Can Be a Differentiating Idea
Chapter 17. Being the Latest Can Be a Differentiating Idea
Chapter 18. Hotness Is a Way to Differentiate
Chapter 19. Growth Can Destroy Differentiation
Chapter 20. Differentiation Often Requires Sacrifice
Chapter 21. Being Different in Different Places
Chapter 22. Maintaining Your Difference
Chapter 23. Who Is in Charge of Differentiation?